Valcartier

Ice Hotel returns to its origins for 25th edition

Cassandra Kerwin

cassandra@qctonline.com

Year after year, dedicated artisans, architects and engineers work together to create a winter paradise from snow and ice. Stepping across the Ice Hotel’s threshold, the expected 80,000 visitors will discover a world of wonder built around the theme of “Back to the Origins.” The hotel is open to tours, visitors and overnight guests until mid-March, weather permitting.

Construction began as soon as temperatures dropped be- low freezing over consecutive days, giving artists, arti- sans and construction crews about a month to complete the 53,000-square-foot Ice Hotel from 45,000 tons of snow and 3,000 ice blocks. Visitors have

been touring the hotel since Dec. 27, with the first overnight guests welcomed on Jan. 4. Over the following weeks, all 30 suites, including 20 themed rooms, will be completed, add- ing to the Grand Hall, the Ice Bar, the Chapel and the 60-seat restaurant, a collaboration with the Château Frontenac. All of this is to accommodate an expected 80,000 visitors and 3,000 overnight guests over the season.

“From what I know, from what I’ve seen, a 100 per cent natural ice hotel, I don’t know of any other ice hotel in the world that has this surface area,” said Hugues Painchaud, site manager of the hotel located at Village Vacances Val- cartier.

The four basic elements, wind, fire, water and earth, are sculpted into the walls of the Chapel to be united at the altar. Their human shapes stand tall in the entrance hall. Behind them, visitors discover powwow dancers and a traditional canoe made of ice, and a snow longhouse. At the Ice Bar, visitors can order cocktails and mocktails served in glasses made of ice.

“We have new ideas every year. The talent for sculpture, since I started the ice hotels 15 years ago, has really increased tenfold,” said artistic director Guy-Olivier Deveau. “We pay tribute to nature and the elements in our lobby, our grand hall and our bar. Then, we also have a section that pays tribute to the First Nations. We are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Hôtel de Glace and we are taking a look back at the history that brought us here.”

After admiring the sculpted snow walls, visitors tour the rooms, each with their respective themes: origami, mosaic, Quebec and outer space, to name a few. People cannot help but stare, smile and wonder.

As day turns to night, visitors leave and guests check into their rooms. Thanks to the soundproofing and insulation provided by snow, people sleep through some of the quietest nights in rooms with temperatures hovering around -5 degrees Celsius, regardless of the noise and temperature outside. The hotel provides its guests with thermal sleeping bags, a pillow and a foam mat- tress on plywood over an ice base. In larger rooms, wood- burning fireplaces offer added warmth and ambience. Some lucky guests even have access to hot tubs and saunas. Wash- rooms are located in a heated building adjacent to the hotel. For an additional fee, guests can also reserve a room in the adjacent hotel.

Besides the Ice Hotel, the Village Vacances Valcartier offers a range of other winter activities including ice skating, snow sliding and the tropical indoor water park, Bora Parc. For those coming from the city without a car, Unitour offers transportation for a fee from the Château Frontenac to Village Vacances Valcartier and back, according to a schedule found on toursvieuxquebec.com. For more information, visit valcartier.com/en.